Shy Guy
Shy Guys (Japanese: ヘイホー Heihō) are timid troublemakers and common enemies in the and series. They are famous for the masks they wear. , a non-''Mario'' game, was the game they debuted in; they were later carried over to the Mario universe when was created. Shy Guys usually work for Bowser and the Koopa Troopa, but they originally worked for the evil king Wart. Shy Guys make cameo appearances as enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Though the Japanese version of the game refers to them with the same name as Shy Guys, the English version of the game instead names the Mask-Mimics. Mask-Mimics mirror the movements of Link, though in the opposite directions (i.e. Link moves upwards, the Mask-Mimic downwards) to halt his progress until dealt with. Creation and Development All Shy Guys (with the minor exception of General Guy) wear robes that can be red, pink, blue, yellow, green, light blue, black, or white. They are all fairly short and all wear masks with holes on them that represent eyes and a mouth. It is unknown what is behind these masks. However, in Shy Guy's trophy celebration movie in Mario Power Tennis, Luigi sees a Shy Guy without his mask on and is shocked at the sight. Also, in Luigi's Mansion, Luigi can use the to pull a mask off a Shy Guy Ghost. These faces are pure blackness with two glowing yellow eyes. It is unknown whether this is what a Shy Guy's face looks like when it is alive, or it is simply a mirage, as they, like the game's other generic ghosts, were imitations created by . It is also possible that the Shy Guys' so-called "masks" are not masks at all, but rather faces. In Yoshi's Island DS, the sleeping Shy Guy's mask eye holes are closed, supporting this fact. Also, the Bandit sub-species of Shy Guy have been shown to have the ability to change the expressions on their masks as if they were their actual faces. The picture shown when Bandit wins in Super Mario World 2 even suggests that he is able to stick out his tongue. Also, Super Mario RPG's Shy Guys' eye holes comically spin when the Shy Guy is confused, much like people's eyes do in cartoon gags; the Shy Guys of Super Mario RPG are also able to blush on their masks. Spear Guys and Dancing Spear Guys are perfectly capable of moving their mouth holes when chanting and singing, as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island shows. Most recently, in , Shy Guys have been shown to yet again be perfectly able to change the expressions on their masks. However, most information suggests that Shy Guy's mask is indeed a mask, and what he hides behind is surely something very dark and secret. Some early Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork of Shy Guys, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, depicted Shy Guys as wearing strange, -like badges depicting an angry face. It is unknown what this badge represents; it is possible that it is some kind of emblem to the . Another Shy Guy-related element seen only in Super Mario Bros. 2. and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! are also notable for using game artwork of the earliest forms of Shy Guys, making them tall, stout, and human-like; however, the appearance of Shy Guys was later redesigned to their in-game sprite appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2. In the first few episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Shy Guys were depicted as being similar in appearance to their game counterparts, though with one large exception - their masks possessed only two holes. They only had eye holes perpetually in a scowling position. Later episodes of the show would have Shy Guys resembling their game versions more with three holes in their mask, all of which were perfectly circular. Shy Guys, as well as several other Nintendo characters and enemies, made a cameo appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, cementing a place in not only the Super Mario series and its Yoshi sub-series, but also the The Legend of Zelda series. Appearances Mario Kart: Mega Mash-Up Shy Guy returns as an unlockable character in Mario Kart: Mega Mash-Up. He is a medium racer and his karts and bikes will follow a red and white (and sometimes a blue) colour scheme. You can unlock him by getting Gold on the 100cc Lightning Cup. He will do the following to each stat in whatever kart or bike he rides: *'Speed:' +3 *'Weight:' +2 *'Acceleration:' +1 *'Handling:' +0 Hyrule Warriors II Shy Guys, under the name of Mask-Mimics, appear as foot soldiers in Hyrule Warriors II as part of the ''Link's Awakening'' Adventure standalone expansion. Mask-Mimics wield small red clubs that appear similar to the Red Shy Guy's baseball bat in Mario Super Sluggers. There exist three variations of the Mask-Mimics in the Artillery, Shield, and Summoner Mask-Mimics. Artillery Mask-Mimics wield bows to attack from a distance; Shield Mask-Mimics wield large shields and take slightly less damage; and Summoner Mask-Mimics are more powerful variants that can summon more enemies around a warrior. Gallery ShyPaper.png ShyTennis.png Shy Guy - MKDS.png Category:Nintendo Characters